Drift Away
by JosephFrost
Summary: Drabble request eleven. What would happen if Wesker went into the Arklay mountains alone, without S.T.A.R.S. and progenitor didn't work. Wesker/Birkin. Character death. Angst.


No one but Albert Wesker could know for what reason the man choose to not take the other members of S.T.A.R.S. with him on that faithful day into the Arklay Mountains. He didn't even divulge the information to his longtime companion William when he'd come to him for the progenitor, though the man knew as to what fate may indeed be in store for the other going there without even the pathetic excuse for backup that his minions would have provided. Whatever it was, whatever it might've been that called him away by such means, William tried to not allow for it to worry him, to concern him, to consider what might happened as he instead tried to focus on his work.

But he did not return. There was no message, no call, no return from the other man. Dreading the worse William left the relative safety of his own lab and headed to the facility tucked away within the mountains, using every trick, every capability, every_thing_ he knew to keep himself from falling prey to the various infected that permeated the place.

It was down down in the depths of the hidden lab where he finally found Wesker. He had to take care, there was a tyrant wandering the chaotic halls, but the moment he spotted the limp, lifeless body simply lying there…he forgot it. He forgot the fact the laboratory was filled with dozens upon dozens of infected monstrosities that would quite delightedly rip him limb from limb, happily devour him…but none of that matter. None of it mattered at all. William Birkin had seen many dead men in his life, had wittingly caused the death of many of them, but nothing, no one, had ever affected him as the sight before him. Uncaring of the blood the scientist dropped down to his knees beside the fallen man, reaching out to lightly brush his fingers across the still face, ran his hand down to the chest that no longer moved, no longer breathed.

It didn't work. It didn't work. It didn't work and this was _all his fault_. William's hand shook as it fell from Wesker's body, resting on the cool floor beneath him as his head rested against the other man's still chest. **"This can't be.."** The words were barely a breath, barely even there, gone in barely a flicker in time. **"You bastard! You promised it'd all be okay! You said you'd come back! You said.."**

Moisture, tears, glimmered in the corner of his eyes before they ran down his face, dripping to free fall to the floor below him. He didn't cry. He _didn't_ but he _was_…it hurt so bad in a way he'd never faced before, a coiling sickening pain that tore through his chest as aptly as the tyrant would have done if it were there, hovering behind him. Shivering, shaking, William bit his lower lip so hard it bled as he rose back up to his feet, moved to start getting his fallen lover out of there. Even if it killed him he wasn't going to just leave him there to be destroyed along with the facility. This was all his fault. _All his fault_..

_And there was nothing he could ever do to ever make it right again.._

—

The funeral was how it should be, though the members of S.T.A.R.S. were there as well. William paid little attention to anyone and everyone else, not his wife, not even the little girl who tugged so insistently at his hand begging for him to explain why Uncle Wesker was in the box…why was he in the box and not getting out of it? Why why _why_..

The one worded question he'd asked himself repeated. The one worded question he'd never managed to understand. It hurt, it hurt so much still, but there was nothing but blank emptiness within blue eyes as he stared at the coffin, half listened to those who spoke good things in Wesker's name. The fools. They hadn't known him. _They hadn't known him_. He refused to say anything…how could he put into silly words all that the other man had meant to him? There just weren't the words for it. It simply wasn't possible, couldn't be possible. When it was all over…when they had finally lowered him into the earth, William had to shudder and look away in order to maintain himself. Annette gave her husband a look before taking little Sherry from him, leading her over to place a flower for her Uncle Wesker. When William glanced back up he could see his wife and child returning towards him, Sherry babbling excitedly of something with Annette listening…but as the crowd dispersed he spotted…something. It was a man in black, one that echoed a sense of familiarity to him that almost made him sick. Even as he stepped forward the finger moved, leaned down, leaving a crimson rose on the fallen man's grave before he whispered, **_"It just wasn't meant to be, Captain."_**

Words mean for no living being's ears. Before William could reach halfway to the grave, to the man, passing both his wife and child the dark figure straightened up and was gone.

—

I promised..

You promised..

Did it have to end like this? I never meant for this to happen.

_Why_..

I'll never go away, Will. This wasn't your fault.

And I'll never leave. I did promise you that, _remember_?

…

Everything will be okay. _Just watch and see_.


End file.
